Help a Friend Go Back to School

Did you know that more than 16 million children in the United States – or approximately 22% – live below the federal poverty level?

Although it might seem a great task to make a dent in this statistic, we can help. By gathering gently used backpacks and stuffing them with basic school supplies, we can help these children get a head start this school year. Not only will it supply them with school supplies they need for this year but it will also warm their hearts knowing that someone really cares and believes that they can succeed.

 

Supplies:

Backpacks & Basic school supplies such as: three-ring binders, folders, pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, calculators, notebooks, post-its, white out, etc. Snacks: non-perishable items such as protein bars, trail mix, gum, dried fruit, granola bars, etc.

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How to do this month’s campaign:

  1. Send emails, blast on social media and hit up everyone you know for gently used backpacks for all ages.
  2. Select a day to collect these from friends or ask them to drop them off to you, cleaned and ready to be redistributed.
  3. Visit a local dollar or discount store and purchase basic school supplies
  4. Stuff these items (suggestions listed under “supplies”) into these backpacks
  5. Contact your local food banks, churches, shelters, or city officials to see the best location to drop off your full backpacks where they can be distributed to those who need them most.
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Idea Box:

Send an email to some friends who will be doing some shopping for school supplies. Ask them if they would each pick up one extra thing they can donate to your collection. If 30 people pick up 1-2 things then you have a great start! Sort these items and place them into backpacks according to grade of the intended student. Take some pics, put them on social media and tell the world that you are sending yourself and some friends you’ve never met back to school. Be that Ambassador that inspires other kids to lend a hand to friends in need.

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Reflection Questions:

1. What do you think it would feel like to be poor?
2. Do you think it would be harder to go to school each day knowing you couldn’t afford the things you needed to do your schoolwork?
3. What difference do you think it makes to these kids who would come to the first day of school with nothing to now coming with a backpack full of items other kids take for granted?
4. How did you feel when you had the backpacks completed and dropped them off?
5. How will you treat a kid now you realize is poor? Will you look at him/her any differently now?

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